<p>A horseback fairy tale in a royal palace? Sure, why not. ‘The Royals’ begins with Sophia (Bhumi Pednekar), a hospitality CEO-in-training, literally crashing into Prince Aviraaj (Ishaan Khatter) mid-gallop in Sri Lanka. Sparks fly, sort of. Then comes a call to Morpur about his father’s will, only to reveal the family fortune actually belongs to someone named Maurice.</p>.<p>Who is Maurice, and why does he own everything? That’s the mystery. Meanwhile, Sophia dreams of turning the palace into The Royal B&B.</p>.<p>The romance flickers on and off like a glitchy GIF. The show aims for grandeur but often gets lost wandering its own gilded corridors. Despite a few bright moments, ‘The Royals’ leans heavily on surface-level opulence. The backdrop, sun-drenched Rajasthan, offers enough grandeur to rival ‘The Crown’ on vacation, but the show rarely goes beyond eye candy.</p>.'Suthradaari' movie review: Mindless crime thriller derides women.<p>Ishaan Khatter holds his own as the brooding heir, while Bhumi Pednekar tries really hard to sell the ambitious CEO angle, even when the script leaves her hanging. Sakshi Tanwar blends comedy and gravitas with ease, and Zeenat Aman walks away with every scene as the sharp-tongued, couture-clad grandmum. Vihaan Samat adds charm as the well-meaning, goofy younger brother, while Kavya Trehan leans all the way into princess-level snobbery. Cameos from Chunky Pandey, Dino Morea, and Nora Fatehi register more as visual wallpaper than narrative spark.</p>.<p>Ultimately, ‘The Royals’ lands squarely in the comfort-watch zone. It’s the kind of show you throw on when your brain wants silk cushions and minimal effort. As one character shrugs, “We are from Morpur, we don’t do anything, we are just there.” That about sums it up.</p>
<p>A horseback fairy tale in a royal palace? Sure, why not. ‘The Royals’ begins with Sophia (Bhumi Pednekar), a hospitality CEO-in-training, literally crashing into Prince Aviraaj (Ishaan Khatter) mid-gallop in Sri Lanka. Sparks fly, sort of. Then comes a call to Morpur about his father’s will, only to reveal the family fortune actually belongs to someone named Maurice.</p>.<p>Who is Maurice, and why does he own everything? That’s the mystery. Meanwhile, Sophia dreams of turning the palace into The Royal B&B.</p>.<p>The romance flickers on and off like a glitchy GIF. The show aims for grandeur but often gets lost wandering its own gilded corridors. Despite a few bright moments, ‘The Royals’ leans heavily on surface-level opulence. The backdrop, sun-drenched Rajasthan, offers enough grandeur to rival ‘The Crown’ on vacation, but the show rarely goes beyond eye candy.</p>.'Suthradaari' movie review: Mindless crime thriller derides women.<p>Ishaan Khatter holds his own as the brooding heir, while Bhumi Pednekar tries really hard to sell the ambitious CEO angle, even when the script leaves her hanging. Sakshi Tanwar blends comedy and gravitas with ease, and Zeenat Aman walks away with every scene as the sharp-tongued, couture-clad grandmum. Vihaan Samat adds charm as the well-meaning, goofy younger brother, while Kavya Trehan leans all the way into princess-level snobbery. Cameos from Chunky Pandey, Dino Morea, and Nora Fatehi register more as visual wallpaper than narrative spark.</p>.<p>Ultimately, ‘The Royals’ lands squarely in the comfort-watch zone. It’s the kind of show you throw on when your brain wants silk cushions and minimal effort. As one character shrugs, “We are from Morpur, we don’t do anything, we are just there.” That about sums it up.</p>